


Birthday Wishes

by papirtrane



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 14:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3252785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papirtrane/pseuds/papirtrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gon is a blunt idiot, but Killua loves him all the same.</p><p>Or, in more details; it's Gon's 17th birthday, and Killua is on Whale Island celebrating with him and his family, when Gon fires off a question Killua was not expecting having to deal with. Still, all is well that ends well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Wishes

**Author's Note:**

> Part of this story is loosely linked with my first HxH fic, Bedtime on Whale Island, although you don't really have to read it before reading this one.

“Hey, Killua”

“Hm?”

They were sitting on Gon's bed in his aunt's house on Whale Island, on the evening of Gon's 17th birthday. Mito had invited what seemed like the whole town, they had had a huge barbecue in the garden, and cake and sweets afterwards. For a lot of the guests, it had been a long time since they had last seen Gon, years even, and they were all talking over each other, everyone eager to hear about Gon's adventures and where he'd been and the people he'd met. It had been a great, if exhausting day, and now he was sitting in his room with Killua, both of their bellies pleasantly stuffed, and minds and bodies comfortably heavy.

Killua looked up lazily from the book he had propped in his lap, his back resting against the wall. “What is it, Gon?”

Gon, for his part, was resting against the frame at the foot end of the bed, playing a portable video game, which he'd paused in order to address his friend. “I was just thinking about something. Do you remember that time we were at this gym somewhere, and I asked you if you'd ever been on a date?”

Killua suddenly looked a bit wary as he answered cautiously, “I guess. But if this is gonna get embarrassing, I'd rather get back to my book.”

Gon rolled his eyes. “I was just wondering if you've thought about it since then.”

Killua looked at him, expression revealing nothing one way or the other.

“I mean, I'm already 17, and you will be too in just a couple of months, so... it would be natural to have thought at least a little bit about that stuff by now, wouldn't it?”

“I guess,” Killua said again, now blushing faintly pink.

“So... have you?”

“Why don't you tell me first.”

“Ah,” now Gon was feeling his own cheeks heat up. “Well, I guess that's only fair. To be honest... I mean, I guess I have some 'dating' experience from when I was younger, but those were never proper dates, right?” He paused. Killua looked at him. “So, I've kinda been thinking about what it would be like to go on a real date, you know? People talk about it all the time, you see it in the movies, read about it in books.”

“So...” Killua said, thinking it over, “are you saying you want a... a girlfriend?”

“Hmm,” Gon thought about it. “Not necessarily,” he said.

Killua gave him a somewhat confused look. “Then... what? You just want to go on a date? Nothing more?”

“I... I guess?”

Killua shook his head at his friend. “But then, won't it just be like one of those 'not proper' dates?”

Gon's eyes went wide for a moment. “I hadn't thought about that.”

Killua smiled and rolled his eyes. “Guess you hadn't really thought this through, huh. How were you gonna make this date any different from the other ones you had with older ladies, if you don't even want anything more out of it?”

“Then, Killua, what would you look for in a date?”

Killua looked flustered and said, “I-I don't know. I guess I haven't thought about it. Going out like that with girls just seems troublesome. They'd just have all these expectations that you can't possibly answer to, and I'd have to actually, like, court her and... no thanks.” Killua wrinkled his nose in disgust and went back to his book.

Gon observed him for a moment before asking him frankly, “Then what about with me?”

Killua froze. Gon was looking straight at his face, but Killua continued to stare at the book, his eyes widening, as his cheeks blossomed into a fine rosey blush. “Gon,” he said, still not meeting the other boy's eyes, “you are aware of what a date is, right?”

“It's when two people go out and do something special together because they like each other, and then maybe have dinner afterwards.”

“Yeah,” Killua said, abruptly looking up at Gon, “two people who _like_ like each other, usually a boy and a girl.”

“But it doesn't have to involve a girl, does it?”

“I suppose not, but... are you sure you wanna go with your male friend? Isn't that a bit... weird?”

“But I like you.”

“Yeah, but you don't...” Killua hesitated. “You don't _like_ like me... do you?”

Gon looked at him. “Well, to be honest, that's actually kinda what I wanna figure out.” He smiled sheepishly.

Killua could only stare at Gon as he felt his face heat up. “Are you serious?”

“I'm serious, Killua. Would you at least think about it?”

“Think about it? I... you spring something like this on me out of the blue, and... think about it?!”

Gon furrowed his eyebrows, looking concerned. “Was it bad timing? I just thought, since it was my birthday...”

Killua buried his face in his hands. “Trust it to you to just throw stuff like this in people's faces without any kind of warning.”

There was a brief, awkward silence.

Killua sighed. “Alright, I'll go with you.” He looked up to face Gon with an expression that didn't reveal much of what he felt, although his pale cheeks were still tinted pink. “Whatever...”

Gon cracked a wide grin. “Thank you, Killua! I promise I'll take you somewhere fun.”

Killua made a non-committal sound and went back to his book, but found it difficult to muster the concentration to read much further.

 

The next morning, Gon woke up with butterflies in his stomach. He glanced at the clock by the bed. It was only 6 AM, but he couldn't lie still or fall asleep anymore, so he kicked his sheets off and got up. The house was quiet, since both Mito and Abe were still sleeping off yesterday's festivities. It felt strange and exciting all at once as Gon descended the stairs down to the kitchen. He made himself some toast with jam and sat down by the table to start planning their date.

By the time the other boy came downstairs an hour and a half later, Gon had moved to the couch in front of the TV, and promptly fallen asleep in the middle of some morning talk show, having exhausted his earlier excited burst of energy. Killua smiled at the way his friend had curled up on one end, head resting on the armrest and knees against his chest. Then he saw Gon's childish scribbles on the piece of paper on the coffee table, adorned with little drawings and hearts, and he turned a firy red from his neck up to his ears. Killua promptly went to get breakfast from the kitchen. Gon was woken up a moment later from the clinking of plates and cutlery. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, pocketed the piece of paper, and went into the kitchen.

“Morning, Killua!” Gon chirped, and Killua jumped, spilling the milk he was pouring over his cereal.

“Jeez, why do you have to scare me like that!” Killua was blushing again and Gon giggled.

“Sorry,” Gon said, still smiling, and went over to help Killua clean up.

“So,” Killua said, a little nervous, “what... what are we doing today?”

“Well!” Gon had clearly been waiting for this question. “I was thinking I'd take you to the only amusement park here on the island. It's not big, but I love the atmosphere there. And they've got this ferris wheel that's not too big and not too small, and I haven't been on it for years, so I really wanna go! Have you been to an amusement park before, Killua?”

Killua looked flustered. “No,” he said, not making eye contact.

“Then it's perfect!” Gon beamed.

“Uh-huh,” Killua said, not trusting his voice with too many words this morning.

Mito came down not long after, and was surprised to see the two of them up so early. Gon and Killua helped her with the rest of the clean-up from yesterday's party, and then they all had a big leftover lunch together when Abe got up.

“So, do you boys have any plans today?” Mito asked, and Killua's face flared up again.

“I'm taking Killua to the amusement park!” Gon exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh, what a great idea,” Abe chimed in. “Are you going on the ferris wheel then?”

“Of course! It's been so long, I can't wait!”

Abe chuckled. “I still remember the first time I brought you up there. You had just turned six, and you were so excited.” She gave him a warm smile, which Gon returned.

“I remember, granny.”

An hour later, just past midday, the two of them were standing outside the amusement park on Whale Island. There were perhaps fifty other people milling about, and the place was even smaller than Gon remembered it. It was cozy though, and Gon couldn't be happier to be back there with his best friend. They got the tickets and headed inside. Gon smiled his wide, boyish smile as he looked around, taking in the warm atmosphere he remembered so well.

“Killua,” he wheeled around excitedly to look at the other boy, “What do you wanna do first?”

Killua looked flustered and a little bit skeptical. “Dunno,” he shrugged.

“Aww, Killua, come on, be excited! This is gonna be fun, I promise. Let's do the rollercoaster first!” He pointed a finger in the direction of a wooden rollercoaster and pulled Killua along as he started towards it.

They covered all of the attractions the park had to offer; the rollercoaster, the horror house, the merry-go-round, the splashy one with water, the labyrinth. After a couple hours, they sat down to have cotton candy. By this time, Killua had been pulled in by Gon's excitement, and was in a much lighter mood than when they had arrived.

“What is this stuff?” Killua tasted the fluffy sugary treat and laughed as though someone was tickling him.

Gon gave him an incredulous look. “You've never had cotton candy before?”

“No? Is that weird?”

“Well, thinking about it, I can't remember having it with you or seeing you eat it, but... that is just outrageous. I'm so glad I brought you here today.”

Killua grinned. “So am I!”

The only thing left after they had had their snack, was the ferris wheel. They queued up – not that it was a very long queue – and got in their cart. It took them up, slowly, and made a stop near the top.

Killua looked out over the island. “Wow, you can see it all from up here. Look, there's even your house!” he exclaimed, pointing his finger in its direction.

Gon, sitting next to him, was looking at his friend's face, his heart warmed and calmed by the excitement Killua was displaying. “Yeah, it's a pretty great view, isn't it. I'm glad we got a sunny day too.”

“Yeah,” the white-haired boy turned around to face him, and Gon immediately felt an urge to kiss him. It was nothing new; this sort of thing had happened a few times before, but this time it was nearly unbearable. His smile faltered a bit with the concentration it took to hold himself back. He wasn't sure Killua was ready for this.

“What's wrong?” his friend asked when he saw Gon's face.

Gon didn't know how to answer for a moment, but eventually he blurted out with the one thing that was burning in his chest in that moment. “Killua... can I kiss you?”

Killua's eyes went wide like they had the night before, when Gon had talked about wanting to go on a date. He turned red around the ears and seemed at a loss for words.

“I mean... do you want to? It's okay if you don't, but... I really wanna kiss you right now, Killua. Can I?”

Killua looked away and didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, “Aren't you scared, Gon?”

“Scared? Why? You're my best friend.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Killua turned to face him again. “Aren't you scared this might complicate things too much?” He was giving Gon a distraught look. “Aren't you afraid it might ruin our friendship?”

“Killua...” Gon looked at his friend, feeling a bit sorry that he'd brought all this on so suddenly, but then he said, “All relationships are complicated. There isn't a person on this earth who can't be hurt by someone they love, be it a friend or a lover. And isn't it more painful to just keep it all in?”

Killua averted his gaze.

“I've worried too,” Gon continued. “I've worried that you might not like me back. That you might not want to be my friend if I said the wrong thing. But I would never know your feelings for sure if I didn't ask. Sometimes, it's worth the risk. I'd say our relationship is already pretty complicated, so why not?”

His friend looked up at him again, eyes furrowed in a worried expression.

Gon took him in his arms and hugged him. “I'll never hurt you. I'll never do anything you don't want me to. If you want to go home now, that's okay too. I'll always love you, Killua.”

Killua wrapped his arms around Gon's shoulders, and felt tears pressing behing his eyes. The ferris wheel had started moving again and they were nearly at the bottom. Gon loosened his grip on Killua and looked into his face, giving him a warm smile.

Killua rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, and returned Gon's smile. “We don't have to go home if you don't want to. Was there someplace else you wanted to take me?”

Gon gave him a wide grin. “Yes! We haven't had dinner yet, right? I know a great place!”

The mood brightened again as they had dinner at a pizza place near Mito's house. Having spent around five hours rushing around the amusement park, they quickly realised how famished they really were. After sharing the biggest pepperoni pizza the place had to offer, they of course had ice-cream for dessert. They shared a large, elaborate bowl of several different flavours, topped with fruits and caramel.

“I really am grateful that you brought me out today though, Gon. Please don't be mistaken about that.”

Gon smiled. “I know, Killua. And I'm grateful that you came along. I know I sprang it on you totally out of the blue. I can't help myself; I'm just like that. I'm sorry.”

“No,” Killua said, “don't be sorry. Getting some time to think about it, I think you're right. Some things are worth taking the risk.”

Gon was relieved to hear Killua say this, and it sparked his hope again. The last thing he wanted to do was to push his friend away. But, he thought to himself, he would try to be a bit more delicate in the future.

“It's already seven-thirty,” Gon pointed out, looking at the clock on the wall. “If we can manage to drag it out for another hour, we could go to the beach and watch the sunset before heading home.”

Killua agreed that that was a good idea, and they each ordered another glass of juice while they waited. Although Gon had been nervous after Killua voiced his worries on the ferris wheel, he was feeling more comfortable now, and glad after all that he had not waited any longer. The flow of their conversation was back to its usual self, excited and free from the worries of the world. And Gon knew that even if their relationship never developed past this; even if this was the way they were destined to be until the end of their days, he wouldn't actually mind. So long as they could be with each other like this, that was all he really wanted.

As they were walking along the beach in the orange-y yellow twilight, Gon told all of this to his best friend, and Killua went silent for a long moment. Eventually, he motioned to a flat rock by the hillside leading up from the sand, and they sat down.

“It's not that I don't think I could grow used to a romantic relationship with you, Gon. In fact, I've thought about it myself more than once,” Killua said, blushing faintly as he looked down at the sand and picked through it with his fingers. “You just surprised me yesterday, that's all.”

Gon was looking at his friend, listening intently to what he was saying, after not sharing much on the matter earlier.

“To be honest, I think I just end up over-thinking everything though. It might have been for the best that you blurted out with it when you did. I don't think I would have ever taken the first step myself. I just worry too much.” Killua looked up at Gon, eyes seeming to search the other boy's face with a look of concentration. “Just out of curiosity... how long have you had these, um, thoughts... about me?” Killua was clearly still a bit embarrassed when treading these waters, but he seemed to have been encouraged by what Gon had said to him earlier.

This time, it was Gon's turn to blush. He felt his pulse quicken. “Well, I think,” he started, then paused. “I think, maybe, I was actually already in love with you by the time we were 13.”

Killua's eyes widened at him.

“I mean, I wasn't aware of it at the time, of course, not the way I am now; I mean, we were so busy anyway back then, we were just all over the place, you know, and... I didn't think about it so much back in those days, but... thinking about it now... yeah, I think I fell in love with you sometime between meeting you in the Exam, and turning 13.”

Blue eyes stared back at him. “Me too,” Killua said quietly, almost reverently, as if some great truth had finally been bestowed upon him.

Gon gave him an untypically shy smile. “Somehow, this makes me feel like an idiot.”

“Me too,” Killua chuckled, and the heavy atmosphere was lifted.

Once they had started laughing, they couldn't stop, and the fit went on for a good minute before they got it under control. It felt good. This was going to be okay, Gon thought. And in the next moment, he ceased to think at all when Killua pressed their lips together in a chaste but warm kiss. Gon felt his heart rate go up again, but he wasn't nervous; this felt just right. Killua had kissed him at the exact right moment, and precisely because it was Killua, he wasn't afraid of anything. He closed his eyes and leaned into it. They were soft, dry lips, and Gon felt the warmth from them spread through his whole body.

A moment later, Killua leaned back, breaking the kiss. He was red in the cheeks and smiling brightly. “There. That was what you wanted, wasn't it.”

Gon looked back at him, eyebrows furrowing. He bit his lip.

“Tch, what's wrong this time? Not good enough for you?”

“It was amazing, Killua! I loved it!”

Killua turned scarlet, but didn't break eye contact. “Then what's wrong?”

“You've made me want another one! Now I just wanna kiss you and never stop!”

This boy will be the death of me, Killua thought, looking away in embarrassment. “Well, it's all you get for now!” he said stubbornly, standing up from the rock.

“Whaaaaat? Seriously?” Gon whined, and stood up next to him.

Killua started walking. “C'mon, let's go home.”

“Tch, no fun,” Gon said, and followed after his friend.

Killua whacked him over the head. “I just friggin' kissed you on the lips – my first kiss, I might add – so give me some time to recover before I do it again!” he exclaimed, and started walking faster.

Gon simply giggled, hurrying up after him. “That was your first kiss? I'm glad it was for me.”

Killua ignored him, not wanting to get into the conversation, and they walked home in companionable silence.

 

After they had got back home to Mito, they had spent an evening drinking tea, eating snacks, and watching variety shows on TV, the four of them together. At around eleven-thirty, Mito had decided to call it a night, and encouraged the boys to do the same. Abe had already gone to bed at ten. After going through their evening routines of bathing, brushing teeth, and changing into pajamas, they all said good-night and went to their respective rooms. That is, Mito went into her room, and the two boys were as usual sharing Gon's room.

The atmosphere thickened ever so slightly once they were alone together again. There was a feeling hanging in the air of What now? Do we still sleep separately? Has anything actually changed? Should I say something? Both of them were turning over such questions in their minds as they prepared the makeshift mattress on the floor, which had been stowed away during the day.

Then Gon suddenly stopped in his movements, just as he was helping Killua put the sheets over the mattress.

Killua looked up. “What's wrong?”

“No, I was just thinking, do you really still wanna sleep on the floor? I mean, we could... we could share my bed?”

Killua's cheeks flushed with colour. “I... I suppose. We could do that. It's a big enough bed, to be honest.”

Gon mentally breathed a sigh of relief. “Right? I think it could work.”

All questions had not been answered yet, but at least some of the tension had left their shoulders when they decided on sharing Gon's bed. They put away the mattress again and after turning off the lights, Gon climbed into bed. Killua followed him, still a bit cautious. They were lying in the same bed, but they were still keeping some distance, not letting their bodies touch.

“I think,” Gon began, looking over at the other boy. “I think we might have done something like this before.”

Killua looked at him, eyes still visible in the dark.

“We were only like, 12 at the time though. So I suppose it was different.”

Yes, Killua remembered it well. He had been crying and Gon had comforted him. It was a warm memory, but still a bit painful to recall. He didn't like laying himself bare like that, not even for Gon. He turned to face his dark-haired friend. “I remember.”

Gon smiled. “But even if it might have been different back then... I want to hold you like that again,” he said quietly.

Killua took a moment before whispering back, “I'd like that too.”

They carefully moved closer until Gon was able to wrap his arms around Killua's waist and shoulders, and Killua leaned his forehead against Gon's chest. They both felt themselves relax into the embrace, and Gon started lazily stroking Killua's arm.

“We don't have to rush anything,” Gon said.

Killua put a shy arm around Gon's waist. “No. You're right.”

“I'm in love with you, I have no doubt about that now. And now you know too. And that's all I need for now.”

“Yes,” Killua said quietly, voice almost inaudible. “I'm in love with you too.”

Gon pulled him in closer, tightening the hug. “Good night, Killua.”

“Good night, Gon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my second HxH fic!!! So, the part of this fic that links with Bedtime on Whale Island, is the part where they talk about having shared a bed before; that's what happens in the earlier fic. Read it some time, if you feel like it, and feel free to drop a comment below! :D
> 
> Also! I've kinda started a short, smutty next-morning fic follow-up thing to this one, which I might be posting at some point later on. Keep a look out, or don't. Heh.
> 
> Thanks again!!


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